The DREAM ecosystem is the leading digital platform for initiating and implementing projects for Ukraine's restoration and development.
In 2024, DREAM should become mandatory for all initiators of infrastructure projects. Understanding the ecosystem's functionality and skills in working with the platform, which will allow for high-quality communication about the needs of communities and compelling attraction of donor funds, is becoming a priority for the successful restoration of the regions.
At the initiative of the Ministry for Restoration, the Agency for Restoration, and the DREAM Project Office, with the support of the Open Contracting Partnership and UK International Development, a series of presentations on the DREAM ecosystem has been launched in different regions of Ukraine. 
The regional events aim to engage representatives of local communities and regional military administrations in working with the ecosystem, present the benefits of DREAM for implementing regional restoration and modernization projects, and change perceptions of the opportunities for cooperation with international donors and attracting investment for community needs.
The first regional presentation of the state digital restoration ecosystem for accountable management DREAM was held on January 22 in Chernihiv. More than 60 representatives of Chernihiv region communities, RMA, and international organizations discussed the benefits of using the ecosystem, the progress of its implementation, and the following steps to engage local and regional authorities in working with DREAM.
According to Kostyantyn Megem, First Deputy Head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, the first regional presentation of the ecosystem in the Chernihiv region is significant, as the communities of the region have suffered significantly from the armed aggression of the russian federation and face huge challenges in restoration.
"Supporting community capacity, including implementing the DREAM ecosystem, is extremely important. The system allows us to work with projects for restoration and development, and thus helps bring life back to communities,"
emphasized Kostiantyn Megem.
Currently, the total number of projects implemented in the Chernihiv region and added to DREAM exceeds 120. Almost 30 communities in the region are working with the system, but this year, the number of communities involved and projects will increase significantly.
"The Ministry takes a comprehensive approach to the issue of community recovery. At the strategic level, we set the general framework by updating the State Strategy for Regional Development and streamlining the overall architecture of planning documents. At the practical level, we are implementing effective financing mechanisms. In 2023, it was the Fund for Liquidation of the Consequences of Armed Aggression and digital tools. And the DREAM ecosystem today is the basis for working with restoration projects,"
said Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister for Community, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.
Thanks to the ecosystem, communities form their investment portfolio and can also attract funding, Oleksandra Azarkhina added. The advantages of DREAM are apparent, so today, more than 500 communities from all over the country are already working in the system. They receive technical support from the DREAM Project Office and cooperate with regional support teams.
The legislative framework for community development includes initiatives to more clearly define the powers and responsibilities of local authorities. First of all, in the area of restoration.
"We are working on several initiatives that help strengthen communities' capacity and involve the public in the restoration process, including draft laws No. 7283 and No. 6319 on strengthening democracy and improving self-organization bodies, and draft laws No. 6401 on making the work of local self-government bodies more transparent, and No. 4298 on ensuring oversight of local government decisions. We are also finalizing the draft law on the basic principles of restoration, which contains a separate block on the mandatory use of the DREAM ecosystem,"
said Olena Shulyak, the Chairwoman of a Committee for the Organization of the State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, Chair of the Servant of the People party
Olena Shulyak added that The Unified State Electronic System in the Construction Sector (USESCS) is being integrated with the DREAM ecosystem, which will allow the management and control of the construction of new facilities. The register of cultural monuments is also being integrated into the ecosystem. At the same time, all restoration projects must be implemented transparently and efficiently, based on the build-back-better principle, and must consider the modern standards of the European Union, particularly the New European Bauhaus. 
Currently, the DREAM ecosystem is finalizing the digitization of the entire cycle of a restoration project, which allows managing the project at all stages of its implementation. In addition, functionality for international partners has been developed alongside a financial program tool that will enable attracting funding for community projects directly in the system. In the spring of 2024, as part of a pilot project with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, DREAM will select regional projects to repair food blocks and construct shelters in educational institutions.
"Our task is to create a single window for working with restoration projects for project initiators and international partners. By combining the interests and needs of all participants in the restoration process, we are creating a convenient digital system based on the "everyone sees everything," principle, - emphasized Viktor Nestulia, Head of the DREAM Project Office, Open Contracting Partnership.
Volodymyr Zhdanov, Implementation Manager of the DREAM Project Office, presented to the event participants the key functionality of the ecosystem, which ensures a transparent recovery process, and emphasized the benefits of the ecosystem for project initiators.
Namely:
a clear step-by-step process for initiating and implementing restoration and development projects;
user-friendly interface, tips, and instructions for filling in project data; no need to duplicate information, access registers, and work with recovery projects in a single window mode;
the possibility of attracting funding, both state and international;
systematic training for system users; ongoing technical support for system users, including separate channels for communication with communities, a chatbot, and a Facebook community;
increasing trust in the community through openness of the reconstruction process.
Volodymyr Zhdanov also noted that joining the system at an early stage gives communities more time to prepare projects. A detailed and high-quality project card in DREAM will help accelerate the attraction of funding, including from international organizations.
"One of our main tasks in implementing DREAM is to train and support communities. To strengthen project initiators' capacity, we offer various training materials and technical solutions. Chats with community representatives are successfully functioning. You can get answers to the most common questions about the ecosystem through the chatbot," - added Volodymyr Zhdanov
You can join the system by filling out the application form: https://bit.ly/48GWTUJ
During the event, the most active users of the DREAM ecosystem were awarded. 
The Chernihiv Regional Military Administration supported the presentation of the DREAM ecosystem in Chernihiv. The event is the first in a series of regional presentations this year.
